which game is best for kids? ping pong vs pool table

I love playing games with my children; it’s an excellent way to spend quality time together, to teach them things and also have fun. I mainly choose games that help them develop specific skills which will be of great help later in life. Two of my favorites are table tennis, also known as ping pong, and pool; my kids adore the times when we play any of them (mainly if the whole family gets involved).  

But, when we had to choose one game or another, as we wanted to buy a table for our home, I started thinking about the benefits of each sport. Would a ping pong table be the wise investment or would the pool table be the right choice? I know that having a game table that can suit both would be ideal, but I needed to rely on a reasonable budget. So I had to make a short list:

Ping Pong

The game is easy to play at almost any age; it is an Olympic sport since 1988, with multiple benefits (it is, in fact, the second largest played sport in the world). There are various reasons to encourage your children to play it:

• Social bonding – Experts say that children who are exposed to the ping pong world will develop excellent social skills in communicating with both other children and adults. This sport also brings family members together, as it can be played in teams.
• Brain and body development – Ping pong helps children improve their hand-eye coordination and stay in shape. It’s a great way to build up well-made muscles and bones, and also to enhance the child’s flexibility and agility. Specialists have concluded that ping pong is fantastic for the brain: it improves the motor functions, the strategy-developing skills, and the long-term memory abilities.
• Fun, easy to play, not expensive – Ping pong is relatively cheap compared to other sports; according to www.bestpingpongtables.io, you can buy good tables at extremely reasonable prices. It’s a lot of fun, and anyone could play, regardless of the age.

Pool

Pool is a game that may bring the whole family together as well. It is suitable for all ages, relaxing and it creates social bonding (mainly when played in teams).

• Brain development – Pool teaches children how to develop strategies and solve problems. They have to identify a situation and think of all the things they could do to gain an advantage out if it. It teaches the kid to make mental calculations and judgments about the angle, distance, and speed; it also helps the children learn how to stay focused.
• Character building – When playing pool, kids can understand when they make mistakes and learn how to deal with such an acceptance – and with losing a match. Pool allows them to analyze what they did wrong and what they can learn from that. It also provides a good sense of space-awareness, and it opens the door to other sports which require strategic thinking, good hand-eye coordination, and patience.
• Fun and relaxation – You can have lots of fun playing pool, especially if you don’t make it about winning or losing. Teach your children the value of the game – the same advice goes for ping pong as well. I grant that a pool table is a significant purchase, mainly for a tight budget, as such an item can be pretty expensive. But if you go in for good quality equipment, it will last for years.

So what did I choose, in the end? Well, my family decided upon the ping pong table, but we still play pool as well, whenever we get the chance, even if it’s not at home.